Cape Town, South Africa – Turtle Conservancy Senior Scientist Dr. Jim Juvik took the first steps in a cutting-edge program to deter predators on our Fynbos Preserve this month by deploying a battalion of 3D-printed baby tortoise shells. So far, motion-sensing cameras have captured predators including pied crows, foxes, mongoose, duikers, and even honeybadgers as they attempted to prey upon the mock tortoises. We are now planning experiments to reprogram the predators to avoid baby tortoises as a result of their experiences with bad-tasting decoys.

In South Africa, the Turtle Conservancy, along with its partner organizations, has purchased over 1,000 acres of the last remaining habitat for this critically endangered tortoise, which we are calling the Geometric Tortoise Preserve.